Moisture, such as water vapor, can be an undesirable component found in natural gas extracted from underground. In one aspect, water vapor can reduce the fuel value (energy generated by combustion per unit mass) of the natural gas. In another aspect, the water vapor can condense into liquid and this liquid can cause corrosion of natural gas extraction, transport, and storage equipment. In a further aspect, liquid water can damage equipment utilizing the natural gas, such as turbines. For these reasons, it can be desirable to limit the concentration of water vapor present in a natural gas stream.
In some instances, it can be standard practice to periodically or continuously measure water vapor concentration of a natural gas stream at different locations of a gas extraction system, such as extraction sites, pipelines, and storage sites, to verify that the natural gas stream at these locations meets water vapor content limits. In one example, fixed monitoring facilities can be established for natural gas measurement on-site. In another example, natural gas samples can be acquired and transported to a remote laboratory for analysis.